Kako no Namida
by sarcrow13
Summary: My name is Angel Stone, and this is my story. (Kazuma Yagami X OC)
1. Chapter 0

My name is Angel Stone, and this is my story of how I was transported into Kaze no Stigma.


	2. Chapter 1

_Italics = anime_

Chapter 1

"Come on, Angel!" Tammy shouted, grabbing my arm and dragging me off.

"I'm not coming with you," I said, shaking my head as I yanked my arm from her grasp. "I'm going home today after school."

Tammy scoffed. "To watch Kaze no Stigma again, huh?"

I grinned at her. "You know me so well," I said, and Tammy glared at me.

"So we're not hanging out today?" she asked, and I shook my head.

"Kazuma is calling to me; I can't ignore him," I joked, and Tammy shook her head, chuckling quietly.

"Whatever." Tammy walked off, waving to me over her shoulder. "See ya."

"Bye," I whispered, turning the opposite direction and beginning to walk home.

* * *

_"Eyes as blue as the azure sky, that is the symbol of the Contractor. Entrusted by the Spirit King of the Wind with the powers of his domain, I bear this mark. The stigma of the wind."_

I sang along with the opening theme of the anime at the top of my lungs, finding myself grateful that no one in my family was home.

_"Enriha, come forth!" Ayano shouted, clapping her hands together before drawing them apart._

Suddenly, I made a wish: "I wish that I could be a part of the anime and be the soul-mate of Kazuma Yagami."

At that moment, I passed out.

* * *

"Do you think she'll be okay?" someone asked, sounding as though their voice was being filtered through some sort of curtain.

Echoing in my ears was the sound of beeping; it began to annoy me and I attempted to silence the noise by batting it, only to have my hand caught.

"Oh, yeah," another voice replied. "Judging by the way she was trying to shut the heart thing up, I'm assuming she'll be just fine."

A voice that I recognized as Yukari's from Kaze no Stigma sighed in relief. "I'm glad. I would feel awful if we hadn't gotten there in time."

I forced my eyes open, curious as to what had happened to me. Upon opening my eyes, I was blinded by the light; I scrunched my eyes shut and peeled them apart again. This time, I could actually see, and I investigated my surroundings. Surrounding me were three very familiar girls: Ayano, Yukari, and Nanasae. I blinked.

"Oh, you're awake!" Yukari exclaimed happily, and I winced at the loud volume her voice was at.

"Shh, Yukari," Ayano said at a normal volume, glaring at her friend. "You're too loud."

Yukari pouted. "You're so mean, Ayano."

"Wh-what happened to me?" I finally managed to croak out, and the three girls' attention returned to me.

"You don't remember?" asked the cool-headed Nanasae.

"No," I replied. "I don't remember anything."

Which was a lie; I remembered everything from the world where Kaze no Stigma is just an anime, but hey! If I told them that they were just a show and that I was from another world, they'd probably send me to an asylum. Then I wouldn't be able to meet Kazuma.

Ayano's cool expression softened. "You really don't remember anything? You have amnesia?"

I nodded, ignoring the pain that was sent down my spine at the movement.

"The doctors warned us this might happen; they did say you hit your head pretty hard when you fell." I arched an eyebrow, and Ayano continued. "Well, my friends, Yukari and Nanasae, and I were walking down by the beach, and all of a sudden, Nanasae spotted something off in the distance, way above our heads and over the ocean, but not too far. As it continued to fall, we identified it as a girl, you," she explained. "My friends and I swam out after you had fallen into the water and we saved you from drowning and took you here."

I smiled at her. "Thank you."

Ayano and the other two smiled back at me. "You're welcome," they chorused.

And they sat in the chairs near my hospital bed and we talked for hours until Ayano had to leave because of her curfew.

* * *

Weeks passed, and I was discharged from the hospital and Jugo adopted me as his own child. Ayano now had an older sister, one that was the same age as Kazuma. I also discovered that I had the power to manipulate all of the elements. The only ones who knew were my sister, Ayano, and my adopted father, Jugo - oh, and Yukari and Nanasae; I couldn't keep anything from them.

It turns out there was another sword in the family saved for one who ". . . would fall from the sky and join the family not by blood but by ties", as Jugo said. It was part of a whole prophecy and such. I thought it was pretty damn cool. The sword is made of emeralds and diamonds with a ruby studded in the middle of the handle and called Ichimi, which means wind; it's gorgeous and I can use any element with it. It's amazing.

Ayano and I took a step forward and she clapped her hands together.

"Enriha, come forth!" she shouted, and her sword appeared in a burst of flame.

"Lend me your power, Ichimi!" I called and crossed my arm over my chest. My own sword appeared in my outstretched hand in a spurt of God's Fire.

Ayano was not shocked by my casual use of the God's Fire; she was used to my showing off by now.

The doors to the little temple opened and a stream of spider web shot out. Ayano bent down and I ran at her, using her back as a springboard to create a shield of God's Fire to burn the web away. I landed on my feet gracefully and Ayano darted around me to block another shot of web. The spider suddenly burst out of the temple, destroying it completely, and I stepped forward so that I was by Ayano's side. We created a shield of fire, mixing regular fire and the God's Fire together.

The web melted away, and Ayano charged at the beast before us. Suddenly, she stumbled over her feet and I took off, shooting a blast of fire at the web connecting my sister to the spider. Ayano, recognizing my intentions, turned around and bent down, cupping her hands together. I put one of my feet into her hands and she flung me into the air. I created a huge burst of flame by swirling Ichimi around for a few seconds and it seared the spider to a crisp.

Ayano laughed giddily, and she and I high-fived.

"Hm, I guess he just couldn't stand the heat," I remarked as Ayano dismissed Enriha. I tossed Ichimi into the air and clicked my fingers. The sword shattered into a thousand pieces, and Ayano sweat-dropped at me.

"You just can't stand to just dismiss Ichimi in a normal way, can you?" she asked, and I laughed.

"Ha! No, it's like asking you not to hate the wind," I said, and Ayano shrugged.

We took off down the pathway, heading back to Yukari and Nanasae.

"Hey, guys!" I called once I could see my sister and I's friends. "We didn't mean to keep you waiting."

"That didn't take long, Angel!" Yukari said as she and Nanasae raced for us.

"Did everything go okay?" Nanasae asked, and my sister and I linked arms as I winked, holding up a peace sign.

"Yup. There's just a little less evil in the world now, thanks to us," I said, and Ayano grinned at me.

"The Legendary Duo," Nanasae murmured, and I laughed, disentangling my arm from my sister's as I reached over to ruffle her blue hair.

"You know it!" I exclaimed, and everyone laughed.

"Great! Why don't we go celebrate with some karaoke?" Yukari suggested, and Nanasae looked at the blonde with a grin.

"Again, Yukari? You're obsessed," she said, and Yukari rolled her eyes.

"Look who's talking, Nanasae," she shot back, and I laughed, throwing my arms over both of their shoulders.

"Well, it is fun and all," Nanasae admitted, "but we're so close to the beach. Let's enjoy the ocean wind!"

"Yeah!" Yukari exclaimed. "That sounds like an awesome idea!"

"_Then_ we'll go karaoke after that, 'kay?" Nanasae said, and Yukari nodded.

"The ocean wind, huh?" Ayano murmured, and I smiled warmly at her.

A huge gust of wind suddenly blew up and we all had to hold our skirts down to hide our panties. Ayano looked pissed.

"Oh. Yeah. Give me a break," she said. "I HATE THE WIND!"

I looked off into the distance while my friends laughed. "He's here," I murmured, and Ayano and the others looked at me strangely.

"Who's here, Angel?" Ayano asked gently, and I turned to look at her over my shoulder, smirking.

"You'll see," I said mysteriously, tapping my finger against my lips.

* * *

A/N: Okay, what did you think of that ending? I know it's a cliffy, but hey! I'm really good at those. I hope you're enjoying the story. I'm having a lot of fun writing it. I just hope you know how much of a pain in the ass it is, though, to keep playing and pausing the anime so that I can get the dialogue just right for all of my fans. You guys are lucky I love you, otherwise I wouldn't go to all of this trouble. What do you think of Angel so far? Can you tell who she's based off of yet? I bet you can't. *winks* It'll probably come to a surprise to most of you when you do figure it out.

Well, that's all for now. Ta-ta! 3


	3. Chapter 2

I stared out of the window of the karaoke place while my sister and the other two sang and danced to their hearts' content. "He's coming," I whispered. "After all these months, he's finally here."

Ayano tapped my shoulder and I whirled around to face her. She had a worried expression on her face and she tilted her head to the side. "Are you all right, Angel? You've been talking about 'him' all evening."

I forced myself to grin at her, my heart in my throat at the chance of meeting him. "I'm fine, Ayano. No need to worry about me. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore."

Ayano chuckled. "I suppose you're right. You want to join us?"

I stood up. "Sure," I said, taking the mic Yukari was offering to me.

"What song do you want to sing?" Yukari asked, and I grinned.

"I know just the one," I said. "Sakura Kiss."

Nanasae rolled her eyes but selected it anyway, and the song began to blare from the speakers.

_"__KISS, KISS FALL IN LOVE!  
_

_MAYBE YOU'RE MY LOVE!_

_Kidzukeba itsudemo soba ni iru keredo _

_HONTO wa KIRAI? SUKI? mousou na no?_

_Jibun no kimochi ga KURIA ni mietara _

_REDII demo HOSUTO demo kamawanai yo._

_SUKI ni natteku riyuu wa minna _

_chigau yo ne KEDO _

_MAYBE YOU'RE MY LOVE_

_Aitai ima yasashii kimi ni sakura KISSU TOKIMEITARA ranman koi shiyo _

_mirai yori mo ima ga kanjin uruwashi haru no koi wa hanasaku otome no bigaku._

_Tatoeba atashi no mada shiranai kimi _

_mitsukete mitai kedo kowaku mo ARU._

_DENIMU ni FURIRU ni KAJUARU ni CHAINA _

_autabi shichi henge kakugo asobe._

_Tsugitsugi hiraku ai no tobira wa _

_SURIRU mansai danzen koi shiyo_

_Isogashikute surechigau hi mo sakura KISSU setsunai hodo ranman koi DESU _

_yowai TOKO mo uketome aou fureau ai wa muteki sakasou futari wa shuyaku._

_Mabushii sora ni makenai omoide tsukurou ima_

_Danzen koi shiyo._

_Aitai ima yasashii kimi ni sakura KISSU TOKIMEITARA ranman koi shi yo _

_mirai yori mo ima ga kanjin uruwashi haru no koi wa hanasaku otome no bigaku YEAH _

_hanasaku otome no bigaku._

_KISS KISS FALL IN LOVE!_

_MAYBE YOU'RE MY LOVE!"_

My sister and my friends all clapped wildly for me, and I giggled.

"How about another one?" Ayano suggested. "This time, Yukari picks."

"All right." I shrugged.

Yukari selected one, and I laughed as Maji 1000% Love began to play, setting the mic down.

"I've got to go, all right?" I said, and the others nodded, too busy with their song to pay any attention to me. I shrugged and walked out.

Maybe if Ayano had been paying attention and had left when I did, she would have been on time and not missed curfew, but, hey! That's the way it goes.

* * *

I was leaning against a tree in the middle of the Kannagi estate when I saw Ayano sprinting towards me. I had already rendezvoused with my adopted father, so everything was all good there.

"Ayano!" Ren shouted, and he ran past me as I trailed behind him, my hands jammed in my pockets.

Ayano screeched to a halt. "Ahh! I'm sorry, Father! I wasn't hanging out, I was at the library and lost track of time!" she exclaimed, panicking, and I giggled softly as I walked.

"Why'd you call me Father?" Ren asked, turning around and grabbing my hand and dragging me along with him.

"Ren, Angel," Ayano said, sighing in relief, and Ren stopped and hugged Ayano as I chuckled.

I walked over to my sister and ruffled her hair. "You'd better count your lucky stars we weren't Father. He's not too happy with you for missing curfew."

Ayano nodded before turning her attention back to Ren. "You really scared me. What's going on?"

Ren pulled away. "He's come back!" he exclaimed happily. "After all this time, he's returned!"

I bit my lip and Ayano looked at me.

"Is the 'he' Ren's talking about your 'he'?" she asked me, and I shrugged, replacing my lip with one of my fingers. I inserted the tip of my finger into my mouth and bit down lightly, a nervous habit of mine.

Ayano rolled her eyes and turned back to Ren. "Who do you mean?"

"Who else!?" Ren said. "My big brother!"

I felt my heart begin to race at just the mention of Kazuma, and I pressed my flat palm against my chest, still nibbling on my finger.

"Huh, yeah, I don't remember you ever having a big brother," Ayano said, her finger against her jaw-line.

"That's mean," Ren said, pouting. "You've really forgotten him?" He paused for a moment as he thought. "Hey, wait, I bet this'll jog your memory! He fought you for Enriha at the Ceremony of Inheritance."

"Enriha . . ." Ayano brightened up when she remembered what Ren was talking about. "Ohh! Now, I remember. He was the guy I knocked out with a single blast of my magic. But it was so fast it wasn't much of a fight, you know."

There was a pang of pain in my chest when I remembered Kazuma getting hurt, and I bit down on my finger hard, accidentally drawing blood. I withdrew my finger from my mouth and spat out a glob of blood, and both Ren and Ayano turned to me, worried.

"Are you okay, Angel?" Ren asked, and I nodded.

"Just bit down too hard on my finger," I explained, ruffling Ren's blonde hair. "I'm fine, little man."

Ren turned back to Ayano, tears gathering in his eyes. "Do you have to be so mean to my brother, Ayano?"

Ayano looked as though she began to panic at that moment, as Ren started to sniff and rub at his eyes weakly. She gave me a look pleading for help, and I chuckled, drawing Ren into my arms.

"She didn't mean it, kiddo," I murmured, pressing my lips against the top of my adopted cousin's head. "She didn't mean to be mean to your brother; she just didn't think before she spoke."

Ren looked up at me, sniffling. "Like always?"

I giggled and nodded. "Like always."

"HEY!" Ayano shouted, and I chuckled as Ren pulled away.

"Come on!" he exclaimed, grabbing my hand and Ayano's as well and dragging us off.

* * *

Ayano pulled the screen open and peered inside. "Father, did you -?" She cut herself off at the realization that Cousin Genma was here. "Uhh . . ."

"Hey, Father," Ren said, and Ayano blinked.

"Cousin Genma, I didn't know you were here," she said, and Father chuckled.

"You would have if you hadn't missed your curfew," he said, and I laughed.

"I'm going to bed, Father. Good night," I said, but Father shook his head.

"You need to hear this, Angel; it's important. I also need your expertise and power," he said, and I nodded respectfully.

"Of course, Father," I said, walking into the room and sitting properly like I had been taught.

After Father had explained everything - which I already knew - Ayano and Ren were shocked.

"Unbelievable," Ayano said quietly. "He's using Wind magic?"

"We've heard the rumors, but had written them off as just that until now," Father explained.

"So what you're telling me is that my second cousin, Kazuma Kannagi, who left home four years ago is back?" Ayano asked, and Father nodded. "Are you serious? A member of the Kannagi family has actually trained himself to use Wind magic? I can't believe that. It's just so -" Cousin Genma cut Ayano off.

"It's embarrassing and shameful," he said darkly, sneering, and Father turned to look at Cousin Genma before looking down.

"I pity him despite myself," he said. "He's not had an easy path in life. If only he hadn't been born into the Kannagi family, he wouldn't have anything to be ashamed of."

Cousin Genma opened his eyes. "But he was, and he didn't have the ability to control fire," he said, and Ren and Ayano turned to look at him curiously. "The Kannagi family has been practicing the sacred art of Fire magic for countless generations. It has no place for those who can't master it."

"Genma . . ." Father murmured sadly, and I looked down at my hands folded neatly into my lap, feeling my heartstrings being pulled and played by the words of Cousin Genma.

"Therefore, Kazuma no longer has any connection to us at all, and as far I'm concerned, I have but one son: Ren," Cousin Genma continued.

"Father . . ." Ren said sadly, and Ayano looked at him for a bit before Father spoke.

"Perhaps it's for the best. Wind magic may allow Kazuma to achieve true happiness," he said, and Ren looked down.

"Do you think that he could ever be a member of our family again?" he asked, and I grimaced, standing up.

"I doubt that he would want to be. Well, I'm going to bed now, Father. Good night," I said, and Father held up one finger to signal me to wait.

"Everyone, would you please leave?" he asked. "I need to talk to Angel alone."

Everyone nodded and filed out, leaving my adopted Father and I alone.

I sat back down. "What is it that you need?"


	4. Chapter 3

"I want to talk to you about Kazuma," Father explained, and I winced at the mention of his name.

"What about him?" I asked hesitantly, and Father smiled at me.

"You aren't from this world, are you?" he asked, and I sighed, shaking my head.

"No, I'm from a world parallel to this one. In my world, you and Kazuma and the rest of the Kannagi family are all characters in a story. I fell in love with the story and made a wish to come here," I explained, and Father smiled gently at me.

"I feel like you're leaving something out," he said, and I sighed again.

"I am," I said, hesitant to share this information. "Because I am utterly in love with Kazuma Yagami, I wished that he would be my soul-mate. Since arriving in this world, my feelings for him have only grown, and I am afraid that once I meet him, I won't be able to be without him."

Father blinked. "Why aren't you afraid that he won't accept you?"

I smiled. "Because I know he will. True soul-mates can't reject each other; they fit together like two pieces of a puzzle."

"I suppose you are right." Father chuckled. "Therefore, I hereby give you my permission to be with Kazuma Yagami for the rest of your life. I bless the future union between the two of you."

My cheeks flushed bright red and I bowed. "Thank you, Father! Thank you so much!"

Father laughed, a booming laugh that left a gentle smile on my face. "You're welcome, Angel. Now, go to bed; I fear I may have kept you up far too late."

I grinned and stood. "Thank you again, Father. I won't make you regret your decision."

"I know you won't, Angel," Father said. "Now go."

I raced off to my room.

* * *

It was the middle of the night, and my shallow sleep was interrupted by the howling of the wind. I propped myself up with my elbow pressed against my pillow and stared out of my window. "He's here," I murmured. "Ryuya is here. I'm sorry, cousins. I wish I could help you, but I cannot. This must happen."

Then I rolled over in my bed so that I was facing the door and fell back asleep.

* * *

The next morning, I was with my Father and Ayano outside the Branch Family Members' housing while Youe of the Fuuga clan investigated the murders. Father, noticing my guilt-stricken face, pulled me into an embrace.

"It's not your fault," he murmured into my long, crimson hair. "It had to happen."

I pulled away, knowing that Youe was coming back out; considering he was the one behind this, I was not about to show weakness in front of him.

Youe left the building and knelt before the four of us - Cousin Genma included.

"What was it, Youe?" Father asked, even though he knew that I could answer the question.

"Due to the severity of the cuts on their bodies, I've concluded that they were killed by Wind magic. Not only that, but a type far more powerful than we of the Fuuga clan use," Youe said.

"It would seem so," Father said, looking at the building where the bloody bodies of my distant adopted family members lay. "Shinji Yuuki, Masa Toagami, Takashi Toagami. They might have been branch family members, but to think that someone could kill them so easily is -" Cousin Genma cut my Father off.

"Unbelievable?" he said, his eyes shut as though he could not bear the sight of the world around him. "I'm afraid it's much worse than that. It's humiliating for them to be defeated by a Wind magic user."

Youe's face darkened, and Cousin Genma turned to him.

"Sorry, Youe. I hope you'll forgive me."

"Yes. We of the Fuuga clan have lived only to serve the Kannagi family for generations," he said, and Ayano tightened her fist.

* * *

One of the boys slammed his fist against the wall. "It's Kazuma. How much more evidence do we need?" he growled.

"Well, it does look like a grudge-slaying, and the killer did use Wind magic. So I'm going to have to agree with you that he would fit the bill," the calmer, more cool-headed boy replied.

"If you ask me, he murdered them out of revenge for getting kicked out," another boy said.

"It wasn't their fault he got disowned; it was his for being weak," the last boy of the group said. "Power is everything in this family. He should know that."

"Oh, gee, you really think so?" the first boy asked sarcastically. "Damn that guy. He'll pay for what he did. My big brother, Shinji's death will be avenged. I swear it."

"Then you must also swear to me that you will stay safe," I said, leaning against one of the trees.

The four whirled around to face me, and upon sight of me, they all bowed.

"Princess Angel," they chorused, and I smiled warmly at them.

"There's no need for such formalities. We're all equals here. After all, I'm not even a Kannagi by blood, just by ties," I pointed out. "But you boys must promise me you'll stay safe. I don't want any of you dying on me now, understand?"

They all nodded.

"Yes, Princess Angel!" they exclaimed, and I rolled my eyes.

They never stopped calling me Princess, but I did have to admit, it was rather flattering to be called a Princess. After all, it's every little girl's dream to become a Princess, and now I was the Princess of the Kannagi family. My adopted sister, Ayano, beat up anyone who called her Princess, so no one even bothered to try to call her that anymore, except for me when I wanted to get on her nerves. But me, I never beat anyone up unless they were threatening my family, so everyone still called me Princess. They just thought it was cute that I tried to get them to stop it; they never listened.

"Well, I have to go talk to my Father. I'll see you later." I raced off.

* * *

"Father, everyone's saying that Kazuma's responsible for the murders," Ayano said. "Now that he's acquired Wind magic, they think he's using his powers to take revenge on the family."

Father lowered his head. "If it's true and he is the one who murdered those boys, you may be certain he will pay."

Ayano smirked. "Please let me. I'll destroy him!"

I winced at the thought of my soul-mate being hurt, though I knew she wouldn't stand a chance against him.

"Ayano," Father said, his tone tired but warning, "when will you learn that every problem in life cannot be solved using force? You will leave this family one day, so you mustn't act rashly."

"I can't sit back and do nothing!" Ayano exclaimed, and I bit the tip of my finger.

"But that is exactly what you're going to do," Father replied. "We don't yet have any proof of his guilt. You'll take no action until further orders, is that clear?"

Ayano began to pout, but she still gave in. "I understand," she mumbled before standing and walking out of the room.

"Angel, I know that she's going to go with the two boys we're sending after Kazuma," Father said, turning to me. "I want you to go with her; keep her safe."

I bowed my head. "Of course, Father."

* * *

Ayano laughed, nudging me. "I'm so proud of you, Angel! You're finally disobeying Father!"

"If only you knew," I mumbled, crossing my arms over my chest and staring out of the window.

"Shingou, Takiya, don't tell my Father about this, okay? He doesn't need to know," Ayano told the two sitting in the front seats.

"Are you kidding me?" Takiya asked, laughing slightly. "If Master Jugo ever finds out, we'll be the ones who'll be in trouble."

"I wouldn't even worry about that," Ayano said, leaning back in her seat. "You two are the most powerful members of the Branch Families. He trusts you two way more than he trusts me - or Angel, for that matter. Seriously, he'll never suspect a thing."

"I hope," Takiya replied, and I couldn't help but smile when I remembered that I was going to see Kazuma. "You know, there is a reason that we agreed to bring you two along with us. Purely selfish, of course, but we've always wanted to see the famous Legendary Duo in action."

"Oh, yeah? Wow," Ayano replied, grinning. I just rolled my eyes; if only those boys knew what they were doing to her ego.

"I'm totally serious. Right, Shingou?" Takiya said, and Shingou clenched his fist.

"Sorry, Ayano, Angel, but tonight I'm going to have to ask you not to do anything," he said, smirking.

"Huh?" Ayano said.

"If anyone kills that bastard, Kazuma, it'll be me," Shingou said, and my eyes widened and I began to panic on the inside at the thought of my soul-mate dying.

"No, you can't," Ayano said, noticing that I was too busy struggling to breathe to correct him. "Father said he has to hear his side of the story first."

"Fine," Shingou said darkly. "I'll just burn his arms and legs off, then. Besides, he'll be a lot easier to carry back to the compound that way."

I began to hyperventilate, and Ayano held my body against hers.

"Oh, yeah. Um, whatever you say," she said, looking at me. "Are you okay, Angel? Take a deep breath. In."

I breathed deeply in.

"Out."

And out the breath went.

"In, out."

In and out the air went.

We repeated this several times until I was breathing normally.

By that time, we had arrived at the construction sight, and we all clambered out of the car. We began to race down the path.

"According to our spies, he's only one block ahead of us," Takiya said.

"Right," Ayano breathed.

We were running pretty fast, only for Ayano and I to be trapped in some sort of wind barrier.

"Aw, shit," I mumbled. "Goddammit, why did I have to get stuck, too?"

Ayano just shook her head at me. "What's going on?" she asked me, hesitantly.

"Wind barrier entrapping us," I explained nonchalantly, shrugging.

Ayano rolled her eyes. "All right," she said confidently. "I know what'll get rid of this. Enriha, come forth!"

I reached one arm across my chest and held it like I was holding a sword. "Lend me your power, Ichimi!" I shouted, and the jeweled sword appeared in a burst of God's Fire, just like the last time.

Then Ayano and I began to attack the wind barrier together.

Eventually, we materialized in the real world just in time to see the dead bodies of Taikya and Shingou. Ayano was _pissed_.

"Enriha?" I heard Kazuma ask, and I shivered. "Ayano, is that you? Wait, is that . . . Ichimi, too?"

Ayano whirled around to face Kazuma and I turned more slowly, forcing my facial expression to stay flat. "Kazuma," Ayano hissed as Enriha lit up with flames. "KAZUMA!"

She slashed at him and he dodged. This continued until he leapt on top of an infrastructure of a building.

"Hold on! It's not what it looks like! I didn't kill them, I swear!" Kazuma exclaimed, holding his hand out.

Ayano didn't listen; she just shot at him as he ran along the infrastructure, dodging each blast of orange and yellow flames. "You'll pay for this!" she shouted. She turned to me. "Help me, Angel, or so help me I will tell Father about all of the times that you've skipped school to go to that coffee place!"

I rolled my eyes and dismissed the God's Fire, trading it out for ordinary flames like Ayano. I began to shoot at him as well, though I purposefully made it so that my fireballs never hit their mark.

"Hear me out, would ya!?" Kazuma shouted, shielding himself from the fire of one of the fireballs that I had created and he had run into.

He was surprised to see Ayano and I in the air when his vision cleared, slashing at him with our swords ablaze. He kept dodging.

"Angel, use the God's Fire!" Ayano shouted, and I sighed, summoning the God's Fire with a flick of my fingers.

But Kazuma knocked the sword out of my hand, grabbing my wrist, which sent pleasant electric shocks up and down my arm. Ayano slashed at him and he did the same to her - minus the electric shocks.

"Wow, look at you. You really have grown up," he said, examining Ayano closely before he turned to me. "And Angel, is it? Well, you are also very beautiful."

I flushed bright red, and Ayano growled.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, you murderer!" she shouted, summoning Enriha.

I summoned Ichimi and yanked my wrist from Kazuma's grasp, though I was disappointed at the sudden lack of contact.

Kazuma jumped down to the ground, his arms at his sides. He seemed to be paying attention to Ayano, but I could catch his eyes flicking over to me curiously, and it sent shivers up and down my spine every time that I did.

"You have no idea who you're messing with, Kazuma!" Ayano shouted, lighting her sword up with flames.

"Actually, I do. You inherited the Enriha, so you're the next head of the Kannagi family," Kazuma said, sounding a bit amused.

"We're the Legendary Duo, you bastard!" Ayano corrected him before shooting a fireball at him.

Kazuma sliced the attack in half, and the explosion nearly knocked Ayano backwards. However, it had no effect on me at all.

"I said I didn't do it," Kazuma said.

"Do you really think I'm going to believe a word you're saying?" Ayano asked scornfully.

"That's up to you," Kazuma replied. "I don't care if you believe me or not."

"Somebody killed them, so if you didn't, then who did!?" Ayano demanded.

"Some other Wind magic user. You'll have to find out the rest on your own," Kazuma said, and Ayano remained silent. "But I'll be honest with you, based on what you've shown me tonight, I don't have much hope of that. Some future head of the family you are."

"You've gotta be kidding! You're the last person that should be talking about family! Come on! A Kannagi who practices Wind magic? Aren't you ashamed of yourself!?" Ayano shouted, and the wind began to swirl around Kazuma.

"Not really," he remarked, floating off the ground. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got to go. We'll have to continue this another time."

He shot up into the air, and I thought that was the last of him until there were arms wrapped around my waist, shooting electric sparks up and down my spine.

"Angel!" Ayano exclaimed, worried for me as Ichimi dropped from my hands, dismissed.

"Oh, and she's coming with me," Kazuma said, shooting up into the air.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Ayano shouted, glaring at Kazuma. "You can't just kidnap my sister like that!"

The wind swirled around her, and her damaged skirt revealed her panties. I closed my eyes, and I knew that Kazuma was staring down at her up until we disappeared.

"ANGEL!"


	5. Chapter 4

_**Guest: It's completely all right with me that you don't like my story much. I realize that my story is vastly different from most - I've only read a handful of Kazuma romances that didn't have Ayano as the love - so you may not enjoy it the same way that I do, rereading my work. To tell you the truth, I write for myself, for myself to enjoy later on. I love those moments when I get butterflies in my stomach because of something that a character did to my character; it's the best feeling in the world. But anyway, it's completely all right with me that you don't enjoy this story. It's your opinion, not mine. In my opinion, it's one of the best Kaze no Stigma fanfictions out there. **_

* * *

Chapter 4

"Why did you kidnap me?" I asked Kazuma as he poured himself a glass of crimson wine.

He just ignored my question. "Do you want a glass?" he asked me instead, offering the glass he had just poured, and I shook my head.

"No thank you," I replied coolly, gazing out of the window. "I don't drink."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Kazuma shrug. "Suit yourself," he said, taking a sip of the wine.

I continued to stare out of the window until Kazuma set his glass down with a clatter. At the loud sound, I whirled around to face Kazuma, my fists clenched as they were pressed firmly into my lap. To say I was nervous would be the biggest understatement of the year.

"You can relax," Kazuma said, mistaking my tenseness for fear of him. "I'm not going to hurt you."

I knew that he wouldn't - well, it was more like he couldn't; the bond between us prevented any sort of physical harm to the other caused by one of the two. Basically, we couldn't even dare think about harming the other without fear of intense repercussions from our own selves.

"Why can't I resent you!?" Kazuma suddenly asked me, clenching his fists tightly. "You're Ayano's sister and part of that family. I should hate you, but I can't. I can't even get angry at you. You attacked me, but I can't even resent you."

I bit my lip and resumed my staring out of the window, afraid to meet Kazuma's fiery gaze. _"If only you knew that I wasn't even trying to harm you, I didn't even want to attack you,"_ I thought sadly.

"Who are you to me!?" he shouted, suddenly pinning me to the chair I was sitting in with his whole body; I would have turned crimson if it weren't for the fear coursing through my veins. "What are you!?"

My eyes began to water despite myself as I stared up at Kazuma. I must have looked terrified of him, like a scared, little mouse, pinned beneath him like I was. But truth be told, I _was_ scared; I was afraid of this side of Kazuma. I had forgotten his darker, angry side, and had also forgotten the utter terror I held for this side of him. This side of him, it terrified me beyond belief.

Kazuma's dark, angry expression softened as a tear slid down my cheek. He climbed off of me and turned away from my trembling body, his hands jammed in his pockets with his shoulders hunched. "I'm sor-" he cut himself off. "You know what? Just stay here tonight. I'll take you back to the compound tomorrow." He handed me a blanket, and I accepted it gratefully, wrapping myself in it and cuddling up to the warmth that smelled like him: amber and pine.

But I still couldn't help but grin cheekily, though. "Did the great Kazuma very nearly apologize to me?" I teased gently, and he turned to look at me, arching an eyebrow and smiling slightly, amused.

"Just a second ago, you were terrified of me. Now you're teasing me like we've known each other for years. Where did that shy, scared little girl go?" Kazuma asked, teasing me right back.

My cheeks puffed out and I blushed, looking down as I snuggled further into the green blanket that was now mine. "I'm not little!" I exclaimed, and Kazuma's eyebrow arched higher.

"You're shorter than me _and_ Ayano," he pointed out dryly, very matter-of-fact. "You _are _little."

I huffed angrily and crossed my arms over my chest, staring out of the window at the skyline of Tokyo in the night. "Shut up. I'm big," I mumbled, and Kazuma laughed.

"Maybe in your dreams," he replied, and I turned to see him smirking at me and scrunched my face up.

"Well . . ." I trailed off, and Kazuma threw a pillow at me.

"Go to bed," he said, and I arched an eyebrow at him.

"How about, hm, no," I suggested, smirking. "I'm not tired." And then, of course, I yawned.

Kazuma arched an eyebrow at me. "Oh, really? You just yawned."

"But yawning just means your brain needs more oxygen," I countered and Kazuma rolled his eyes at me.

He walked forward and quickly, without warning scooped me up from my seat, holding me against his chest bridal-style. I squeaked, and he laughed.

"So you still are that scared little girl," he remarked as I locked my arms around his neck, sticking my tongue out at him.

"Nuh-uh," I said childishly. "I'm big, remember?"

Kazuma laughed.

Suddenly, I sneezed, a little sneeze that sounded a little bit like a Pikachu. "Guess someone's talking about me," I said, shrugging nonchalantly. "Probably Ayano; she's gotta be worried sick."

Kazuma just laughed and attempted to set me down on the bed. Unfortunately for him, my arms were still locked around his neck. He pulled on my arms in an attempt to loosen my grip, but my grip didn't so much as budge; I wasn't willing to let go of the pleasant electrical shocks buzzing through my body wherever his body touched mine.

"Let go," Kazuma said, but I didn't; I didn't reply, either.

He knelt down on the bed he had chosen out of the two in the hotel room to serve as mine and laid me down upon it, still wrapped up in the green blanket that smelled like him, but I was still clinging to him like a possessive girlfriend. "If you don't let go, you're going to have to take a shower with me," he whispered into my ear seductively, and my cheeks heated up profusely.

Quickly, I released him, and he pulled away, chuckling.

"I knew that would get you to let go," Kazuma said, and I rolled on to my side, ignoring him childishly. "Angel . . ." He trailed off when I made no move to reply or even look at him.

He sighed and went to stand, but I grabbed on to the sleeve of his fancy jacket.

"Stay with me until I fall asleep?" I whispered, and Kazuma nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bed so that he didn't force me to move.

He swept my crimson hair out of my face, and gently stroked my cheek. "Go to sleep, Angel," he murmured softly, so gentle I was shocked that it was him. "I'm right here."

"Promise me that you won't ever leave me?" I asked, half asleep.

Kazuma nodded; it seemed as though he understood what I meant, though I was quite sure what I meant. "I will _never _leave you, Angel," he vowed, and I smiled, falling asleep with the comforting thought of my soul-mate being with me always.

* * *

EXTENDED ENDING:

I was awoken from my shallow sleep by Kazuma walking into the room, a towel wrapped loosely around his waist. I sat up and my eyes widened. He just stared back at me, his cheeks slowly turning pink as mine did the same thing. We sat there staring for a few minutes, until he recovered first.

"Take a picture; it'll last longer," he said, his hand on his hip as he turned to the side so that I could see his . . . erection pressing against the towel.

I blushed even brighter at that sight and quickly laid back down, covering my head with the blankets. I checked myself over thoroughly; what about me was giving him an erection? Or was did he think of something in the shower? Why did he have an erection?

"You look sexy, by the way," Kazuma called to me, sounding as though he was smirking, his voice filtered by the blankets. "Nice bed hair. Your clothes all rumpled like you just got through making out with someone - preferably me, very sexy. Oh, and I shouldn't forget to mention that your shirt is riding up and I could see part of your breast, since, you know, you don't sleep with a bra on. And your nipples were hard. A very sexy image that will remain imprinted on my mind forever."

I tossed a pillow at him, and he caught it, judging by the fwmop! sound that echoed through the room. It was then, after the pillow had left my little tent, that I realized that I needed that pillow if I was going to sleep on this rock-hard bed.

"Need this back?" Kazuma asked, and I stuck my hand out of the blankets to accept it. He put it just barely out of my reach so that I could feel my fingers brushing against the cloth pillow case before starting to place little kisses all up and down the part of my arm that was stuck out. I blushed even more, if that was even possible, and reached out farther, snatching the pillow out of his hand and pulling it back into my cocoon of blankets.

"Aw, you're no fun," Kazuma said, and he padded back over to his bed, climbing into it judging by the sudden noise the springs made.

"You're an ass!" I called through the blankets, and I fell asleep to the sound of his laugh.


	6. Chapter 5

**_Guest: Why, thank you very much! I really appreciate your comment. :)  
_****_Miyoko-tan: Thank you for the criticism. Your comment is like a breath of fresh air; I never receive criticism. Thank you for breaking that long-running streak. I will take your comment about detail into consideration, and I suppose that the characters are a bit OOC. I tried to keep them as close to the real thing as possible, but there's only so much you can do, you know? Well, thanks anyway! I will try to add more detail to my story. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. Now let the chapter begin!_**

Chapter 5

_"I have Lapis," Bernhart said triumphantly, and Kazuma arched a chestnut brown eyebrow._

_"Congratulations. I have my soul-mate, Angel," he said, sneering at Bernhart. "I love her, and she loves me."_

_"But do you really have her?" Bernhart replied, smirking._

_"Of course," Kazuma shot back. "She's at home with the Kannagis, who are protecting her until I come back."_

_"Really?" Bernhart asked, clicking his fingers._

_An image of me being held by something, suspended in mid-air over a seal that had dark energy wafting up from, appeared in the room. I appeared to be gazing right into Kazuma's eyes, and he reached out to me._

_"Angel!" he shouted before he turned to Bernhart, utterly furious. "Give. Her. Back!" he snarled._

_Bernhart laughed cruelly. "Oh, but I can't. She's far away from us right now; she's in Canada, all the way across the world. She can't even hear you."_

_"She can always hear me," Kazuma said, turning back to the image of me. "Angel, I promise I will find you, and I will rescue you. I will not abandon you, just like I promised I wouldn't. I will always be there for you."_

_Bernhart laughed loudly. "You won't get to her in time. She's going to be sacrificed to Lord Akuma, and he will rise after all this time. There is nothing you can do to stop it! She will end up just like your darling Tsui Ling! You really are pathetic, Kazuma, losing two women you love in one lifetime. You're so weak."_

_Kazuma shot blast after blast of wind at Bernhart, but the copy of Tsui Ling, his old love, blocked the wind with her magic-repellant sword. Then, she launched herself at Kazuma. The two battled it out fiercely until Bernhart ordered Lapis to stop._

_"Now, say your last good-byes to your darling Angel, for these are her last moments alive!" Bernhart said, laughing madly._

_"Angel!" Kazuma roared, and I turned to face him as if I had heard his desperate shout._

_"Kazuma, I know you're watching this right now. It might even be too late. You're probably helpless, held back by Lapis. There is one thing I have to tell you, though: I do not blame you," I said, and Bernhart scowled._

_"Turn it off, turn it off, turn it off!" he screeched, and Lapis leapt up the stairs to the control panel, attempting to shut it down._

_The picture flickered before shining stronger, brighter. My magic was keeping it in place. My voice rang out through the speakers of the place, broadcast all over Tokyo._

_"Nice try, Bernhart," I said, chuckling. "Love will always overcome your evil. Kazuma, you must know this: I will always love you. Forever and always. I do not blame you for this, and you shouldn't blame yourself either. It is Bernhart's fault. It will always be Bernhart. Do not hate yourself, hate him. Do me a favor and kick his ass for me; I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, Kazuma. I love you. I will always love you, forever and always. Oh, and destroy Lapis. She always annoyed me."_

_Despite the finality of the situation, my remark managed to make Kazuma chuckle._

_"I know you're laughing at that and thinking that I'm ridiculous, but I'm not going to do anything about it. There is one thing you need to know before the end: Kazuma, I love you. Good-bye."_

_My spirit returned to my body, and I bit my lip to keep from screaming as a giant, monstrous face rose up from the seal. Its jaws opened inhumanly wide, its teeth covered with its spittle. Its maw was frothing and it opened wider, swallowing me whole. Everything went dark._

I jolted awake, screaming. Kazuma half-jumped, half-fell out of his bed and rushed over to my side, grabbing my hand.

"Are you all right, Angel?" he asked me gently, and I blushed but threw my arms around him.

"I'm fine," I mumbled into his shoulder.

"Bad dream?" he asked, and I shuddered. He chuckled gently. "I'll take that as a yes. Why don't you tell me about it?"

I squeaked. "I-I can't," I stammered. "I don't want to think about it."

"All right." Kazuma began nudging me to the side of the bed. "Move over," he whispered softly.

"Why?" I asked, and Kazuma chuckled.

"Because I'm going to lay down with you to make sure you don't have any more nightmares. Is that all right with you?" he asked, and my cheeks flushed. When I didn't reply immediately, he scooped me up and climbed into the bed with me, laying me down next to him. His arms were still twined around my waist and I began to shake; despite his being next to me, I was still cold. I got cold rather easily.

Kazuma grabbed the blanket and lifted it over the both of us. I still shivered, so he pulled me close to him. He gently took my head and lifted it up on to his chest. His arms were still wrapped around my waist, and he grabbed one of my hands, intertwining our fingers. I looked down at our intertwined fingers and then back up at Kazuma. He smiled at me.

"Go to sleep, Angel; you need your rest if we're going back to your house tomorrow," he said, and I squeaked at the thought of leaving him, tightening my grip on his hand.

Kazuma's smile faded and with his free hand, he stroked my face from temple to jaw. "You don't have to leave if you don't want to, Angel. I don't think that I could force you to leave even if I wanted to."

I smiled at him, burying my face in his chest. "Thank you," I mumbled against his unclothed chest. "_Te amo._"

Kazuma blinked. "What was that?"

My cheeks heated up furiously. "Nothing!" I exclaimed. "Absolutely nothing!"

Kazuma chuckled and he pressed his lips to my temple. "Just go to sleep, Angel. I promise I'll be here when you wake up."

With that, I drifted off to a peaceful sleep in the arms of my soul-mate.


End file.
